A Spark Doesn't Always Mean Fire
by Vampirechica12345
Summary: What happens when you dream something that feels amazingly real? Could it be real? Well We'll just have to find out...  Zoe/Francis
1. Chapter 1: Zoe's POV

**Zoe's POV:**

"And then, the ogre creeped up behind the two little boys." I continued, grinning so that my fangs glinted in the fire. "The ogre let out an evil laugh." I threw back my head and cackled.

Vlad shivered from where he sat beside Francis, eyes wide as he listened to my scary story. He glanced around to make sure no one was looking, then scooted a tiny bit closer to the 17 year-old.

Francis glanced down at Vlad and chuckled silently.

I grinned and continued on with my story.

Finally, I finished, and everyone gave me a round of applause. Eadric stood up and I gave him my place. He began to weave his own tale as the other's attention transferred from me to him.

Francis got up and walked over to where I now stood. "Interesting story." he said with a grin. "I especially like your use of hand gestures." He lifted his hands, curling them into claws and growling fiercely.

I chuckled. "You're so weird."

A mischievous glint appeared in Francis' eyes and he stalked towards me, his 'claws' scrabbling in the air.

I let out a laugh and scampered backwards. "Oh no! The wizardly monster's after me!" I leaned against a rock, placing a hand on my heart dramatically. "Someone save me!"

Francis trudged forward. "It's no use!" he cackled. "You are no match for me!" To my surprise, he picked me up, slinging me over one shoulder.

I did the only thing I could think to do in a situation like this. I let out a shrill, earpiercing shriek. "AUGH!"

Now, most of you that know me know for a fact that I would never actually scream like this. It's degrading. But for the fun of the game, I momentarily allowed myself to make a sound such as this.

Francis jumped, dropping me as he reached for his ears. I plopped onto the sand, catching myself before I fell face first.

Francis moaned and clutched his ears. "Augh, Zoe!"

I grinned cheekily. "The vampire strikes again!"

I heard a laugh, and turned to see Millie walking towards us. "Wow Zoe, that was impressive."

I bowed. "I do my best."

The rest of the night went through in a blur. Grassina charmed a few instruments into playing an upbeat tune. Eadric led Emma into a dance. Haywood and Grassina followed suit.

Papa turned into a bat and fluttered up to Mother. They bobbed in the air to the rhythm of the music.

Soon Audun was taking Millie's hand and leading her to the 'dancefloor'. I watched as they whirled and twirled, all while staring deeply into each other's eyes. Usually, seeing the two of them acting that way would make me wretch. But strangely enough, watching them tonight, I actually found myself a little...jealous.

Was that it? Was I really _jealous _of Millie and Audun?

I sighed, still captivated by the dancing. My concentration was only broken when Vlad and Ivan stepped into the bray. The bowed low to each other, trying to act proper. You'd think they were serious, except for the fact that they were snickering with each movement.

And suddenly, they were laughing, leaping and whooping loudly. The adults snapped out of the reverie's to watch my brothers dance.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't keep myself from laughing.

"Well that's...interesting." Francis' voice said from behind me. I turned to see him grinning as he watched Vlad and Ivan prance about.

I laughed again. "My brothers are so odd."

Francis grinned. "Must run in the family."

I smacked him on the arm.

He chuckled. "I was just kidding!"

"Sure you were." I grumbled.


	2. Chapter 2: Francis' POV

**Francis' POV:**

It was getting late, but the adults were still chatting away.

I saw Millie yawn and rub her eyes sleepily. Audun put an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. She lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. In only a moment, she was fast asleep.

To my right, Zoe's brothers, Ivan, Vlad, and Caleb, were lying in a heap on the ground, all of them fast asleep.

Vlad let out an earth-shattering snore, and Ivan began to stir. But then Vlad fell silent again and Ivan fell back asleep.

That is, until Vlad let out another of his famous snores.

Ivan sat up quickly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, then glaring at his brother. He gave Vlad a poke, but still Vlad snored.

Looking around, Ivan spotted a thick fur blanket. He picked it up and hurled it at Vlad's head. It landed on his brother's face, muffling the sound of his snores.

Satisfied, Ivan squirmed until he was comfortable, then promptly fell asleep, head resting on Caleb's outstretched legs.

I smiled and shook my head. A yawn burst from my lips, and I realized that I was tired too.

Hearing shuffling behind me, I turned to see Zoe a little ways away, punching a log.

I laughed, walking over to her. "What are you doing?" I asked, amused.

She scowled. "This stupid piece of termite food won't get comfortable!" She gave it one last punch, letting out a sigh of exasperation, and leaning back against the log, arms crossed.

I chuckled and plopped down beside her. "Logs don't take kindly to bullying." I teased.

Zoe wrinkled her nose. "Thanks for the tip."

I leaned back against the log, watching her. She scowled at the log for another moment, then turned her gaze up to the stars. Instantly, her frown disappeared, replaced with a look of wonder.

"Francis?" she asked quietly.

"Yea?"

"Do you ever wonder why there are stars?"

I frowned. "What kind of question is that?"

She shrugged.

"Why are you so interested in stars all of the sudden?" I asked.

She sighed. "Oh, forget it."

I rolled over onto my side, propping my head up with my hand. "Oh, come on."

Zoe hesitated, then said. "I just...like stars, I guess." She closed her mouth, drifting into silent thought.

She yawned, making me yawn. She turned to glance at the log with sleepy eyes.

"You know, I have a perfectly good shoulder you could use." I suggested. But the moment the words left my lips, a blush creeped onto my cheeks.

Zoe turned to me. Was that a smile I saw? "Alright." she said, after a moment.

I rolled onto my back and lifted my arm so she could scoot in next to me.

She rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

She shivered, and, acting on instinct, my arm wrapped around her. Realizing what I'd done, I started to remove my hand.

"No, don't." she murmured.

I glanced down at her in surprise. She opened her eyes, lifting her head a bit a blinking up at me. "It _is _cold." she pointed out.

I smiled. "So it is." I left my arm around her.

After a few minutes, I heard her let out a sigh. Glancing down at her, I saw that she had fallen asleep. I rested my chin on the top of her forehead and drifted off into sleep as well.

When I woke, it was still dark out, and something was laying on my chest.

I blinked in surprise, peering down to see Zoe sleeping peacefully, head resting on my chest. Her hand was curled up into a delicate fist, lying right beside her head.

_She looks so beautiful..._ I winced. Woah, where had _that _ come from. Zoe was my friend, nothing more.

But as I gazed down at her, a warm feeling erupted inside of my heart. Maybe she wasn't just a friend to me...

Almost as if reacting to my thought, Zoe lifted her head, blinking sleepily. She squinted, then looked up at my face. Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock, releasing whom she was laying on.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. She bit her lip, eyes bright. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know I was..."

I shook my head. "Totally fine." I hoped she couldn't feel my heart pounding in my chest.

She gazed at my face curiously. I stared into her eyes. She flinched a bit under my gaze, but not as if this revolted her. More like someone would flinch while testing the water in a pool. Waiting to see if it's alright to jump in.

An impulse filled me, as I watched her sweet face. Without a second thought, I leaned forward. I paused about 90% of the way there, waiting for her response.

I expected her to smack me, or yell, so what she did next caught me totally off guard.

Zoe closed her eyes, leaning forward the rest of the way and kissing me.

I took her face in my hands, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I love you, Zoe." I mumbled against her lips.

She pulled away and smiled at me, making my insides melt.

"I love you too, Francis." she whispered, then kissed me again.


	3. Chapter 3: Zoe's POV

**Zoe's POV:**

I woke to the smoky smell of bacon frying on a pan.

I opened my eyes, blinking as the sun's rays momentarily blinded me. I raised a hand to shade my eyes from the light. When my eyes finally adjusted, I looked around at my surroundings.

The adults were seated around a dim fire. Emma was using magic to stoke the fire. Beside her, Eadric was holding a pan of bacon strips over the fire, licking his lips hungrily, eyes glued on the fatty strips. Haywood had charmed a fish so it was hanging suspended over the fire, cooking.

"Morning already?" I murmured. It was then, that the night's past events came flooding back to me. Talking with Francis, resting my head on his shoulder, him wrapping his arm around me. Falling asleep on his chest. Kissing him.

Immediately my gaze flicked over to Francis. He was lying sprawled on his stomach, making a faint snuffling sound in his sleep.

I frowned. "What..?" I watched Francis breathe for a moment. _Was that really all just a dream?_ I thought.

It felt like a shard of ice had pierced my heart. When Francis and I had kissed last night...or when I had _dreamed _that we had kissed last night, I had realized something important. I loved Francis.

And now, realizing that our moment was all just a dream. It was too much for me to handle.

I got up and slowly walked over to Francis. I knelt next to him, gazing at his face longingly.

_If only..._

He snuffled again, and a strand of his golden hair drooped across his face.

I knelt down and gently brushed it out of the way. The moment my fingers touched his face, a spark shot through me. I gasped and stumbled backwards, tripping over a rock.

Francis began to stir as I scrambled for my footing. He lifted his head up, blinking sleepily. "Zoe?" he mumbled.

Tears filled my eyes as I backed away. My bottom lip wobbled. I probably looked so pathetic. Just like I felt.

Francis frowned, confused. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. I was about to lose it. I turned and dashed away, heading in the direction of the forest.

"Wait, Zoe, come back!" Francis cried.

But I refused to turn around. I just kept running.


	4. Chapter 4: Francis' POV

**Francis POV:**

I woke to a weird dream playing over and over in my brain and a friend acting just plain weird.

I jumped to my feet as Zoe started running. Calling out to her, I tried to catch up.

"Since when is she so fast?" I panted, breathing hard.

Finally, she disappeared into the forest, out of sight.

I stopped, resting my hands on my knees.

"What happened?" a voice asked, and I turned to see Millie walking towards me, Audun following close behind. She looked just as confused as I felt.

"I have no idea." I replied. I couldn't keep the worry out of my voice. "She looked so...hurt." I frowned. "Did something happen while I was asleep?"

Millie shook her head. "Not that I know of. Up until now we thought the both of you were still sleeping."

Audun snickered. "You should have heard yourself last night! You sounded like an ogre with a serious case of stuffy nose!"

I glared at him. "Do you have any idea how _dragons _sound when they're sleeping?"

"Hey!" Millie protested indignantly.

Audun's face dropped into a scowl. "Not funny."

"Oh, I think it is. I'm laughing. Haha!" I replied. Alright, I'll admit that was a little immature, but he was pushing me and I was seriously stressed!

Audun clenched his fist, and his face took on a very dragon-like scowl. "So help me Francis I will...!"

Millie bumped him with her hip. "Guys, knock it off." She glanced over at me. "You should go after her."

"I'm one step ahead of you." I said, turning and hurrying away. I heard Audun grumbling as I left. "Stupid wizard thinks he's so hilarious..."

It took a bit of searching and a lot of wrestling with prying tree branches, but I finally found Zoe. She was perched on a boulder, chin in her hands, looking up at the sky.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked.

Zoe jumped, spinning around to look at me.

My heart dropped when I noticed her eyes. They were bloodshot, red and puffy. Barely suppressed tears were hovering on the edge of her eyes, threatening to come spilling out at any moment.

"Oh, Zo." I cooed.

She quickly turned away from me, rubbing her eyes. "It's fine."

I walked to her side and sat down next to her. I reached for her hands. She winced, but did not pull away. I tried to get her to look me in the eyes, but she wouldn't meet my gaze.

"If it was something I did, I give you permission to smack me for it." I said.

Zoe hesitated, and for a moment it looked like she was going to take me up on that offer.

I braced myself, preparing to be seriously damaged.

But to my surprise, Zoe sighed, seeming to deflate instead. "No." she murmured. "It's not your fault." She bit her lip and stared off into the distance.

I had the impulse to hug her, to make her laugh, _anything_ to make banish the heartbroken look from her eyes. But all I could think to say was. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Zoe tensed, shoulders stiffening. "No." she said, her voice coming out in a strangled whisper.

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. What had I _done _to her? An idea popped into my head, and I seized it immediately.

The dream.

Sure, she'd probably laugh at me, or punch me for even daring to dream about something like that. I was risking eternal embarrassment here. But looking at her tortured face, I knew what I had to do.

"So I had this dream last night." I said quietly.

Zoe's head perked up in interest, but other than that, her stance didn't change. "Yea?" she murmured softly.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing the next few words out. "It was about us." I whispered.

Zoe's eyes popped open wide, and she looked at me curiously.

Yup, I definitely had her attention now.

I gulped, then continued on.

"In the dream, I saw you punching a log, trying to make it comfortable" I said tentatively. I didn't dare look at her face. I was too afraid. Yup, you heard it right. Afraid. More like terrified.

I took a deep breath, attempting to calm myself. "I offered you my shoulder for a pillow, so you rested your head on it. Then you started talking about stars. That lasted a few minutes."

I started fiddling with the hem of my shirt' concentrating on that one piece of fabric.

"You started yawning, and fell asleep. Soon, I fell asleep." I paused, the hem of my shirt stilling in my hands. "When I woke up, it was still dark out, and you were lying on my chest. You woke up and got all flustered, but I told you it was fine." At this point, I stopped, to scared out of my senses to go on. What would she do if she heard the rest.

Only Zoe's prompting got me to continue. "Go on." Zoe said, sounding interested.

I took a shaky breath, and finally finished. "And I kissed you." I said, voice squeaking a bit at the end. "And told you I-I..." I blushed.

"Yes?" Zoe asked, leaning forward expectantly.

Well, I had already gotten myself stuck deep in this mess, so I may as well finish the story.

"And then." I said, the words flowing out in a rush. I glanced up at her face. "I told you I loved you." I whispered.

Zoe stared at me, her expression unreadable.

I flinched away from her gaze, then let out a sigh, starting to get up. "Well I suppose that's it then. I've made a fool of myself."

"Wait!" Zoe exclaimed suddenly, grabbing my wrist.

I glanced down at her in surprise.

She looked at me timidly. "Th-that wasn't a dream." she said quietly.

I frowned, trying to register what she had just said. "Wha...?"

Zoe stood up slowly, still holding my hand. She stood in front of me, looking at me with wary eyes. "That really happened." she whispered.

And _that _ was when it clicked. "Oh!" I exclaimed.

Zoe smiled tentatively. "Yea." she murmured.

A grin spread across my face. "You know." I said. "That was the best dream I've ever had."

The look on her face was priceless. I knew right then and there that I wouldn't trade this moment for the world. It was so utterly perfect.

We hung out for a little while, getting used to our new relationship. Then we summoned up the courage to walk back to camp.

Holding hands, I'm proud to say.

Everyone looked up as we approached. Millie pretended to swoon. The parents ooed and aahed. Zoe's brothers pretended to wretch.

What did I tell you? Perfect.


End file.
